
In this example, I’m going to configure a DHCP policy that assigns virtual machines (VMs) an IP address from a specific range of addresses. Note that IP address ranges can only be set in policies at the scope level.Ī client can match more than one policy, and if DHCP options are set therein, the DHCP server will assign all the options in the policies that the client matches, assuming the options in the policies do not conflict. If there are multiple address ranges attached to a policy, DHCP will assign the first available IP address from the lowest range. The first available IP address in the specified range is assigned to a client when it matches the conditions defined in a DHCP policy. Once the correct scope has been determined, both DHCP policies at the scope and server level are applied. The DHCP scope to which a client belongs depends on which server network interface the request is received, or according to the gateway IP address of the relay agent.

Long gone are the days where corporate networks consisted largely of desktop PCs and other static devices. Alternatively, Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs) or Access Control Lists (ACLs) on switches could be used, but PBA provides administrators with a much simpler way to group devices.

PBA also allows administrators to set standard or vendor specific DHCP options based on the same criteria.īefore PBA, you could create individual address reservations in DHCP to group devices by IP address, but this could be a time consuming task on large networks.

For example, you might assign all iPhones an address from a specific range. Policy-Based Assignment allows administrators to assign devices with IP addresses from a specific range, which can be useful if you need to group devices together. Today I’ll discuss the ins and outs of DHCP Policy-Based Assignment ( PBA) and how to configure a DHCP policy in Windows Server 2012. The Dynamic Host Control Protocol ( DHCP) service in Windows Server 2012 has been updated to provide not only failover capability to another server and PowerShell commands, but it also gives the ability to provide devices on the network with an IP address according to different criteria set in DHCP policy.
